This invention relates to a combined global positioning and wireless telephone device and, more particularly, to a combined global positioning and wireless telephone device with components arranged to minimize size.
Wireless telephones, such as cellular phones, have become commonplace in our technologically advanced society, and with recent advances in satellite and global positioning technologies, global positioning systems (GPS) are being used with increasing frequency. The increasing use of both wireless telephones and global positioning systems has lead to the combined use of the two systems as taught by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,555,286 to Tendler; 5,365,450 to Schuchman et al.; 5,043,736 to Darnell et al.; 5,301,368 to Hirata; and 5,235,633 to Dennison et al. These references deal generally with how the systems can be used together. For example, Dennison et al. teach cell site selection in a cellular telephone system based on a position of a mobile unit obtained by a global positioning system, and Tendler teaches an emergency message transmission by a cellular telephone which includes a position determined by a global positioning system.
These references, however, do not address the need for an ergonomic device including both a wireless telephone and a global positioning system combined in a comfortable hand held size. As illustrated in the devices of Dennison et al. and Tendler, ear and mouth pieces are located on the same face of the devices as control panels and displays. To have enough room for speakers and microphones which accompany the ear pieces and mouth pieces, the devices must be made undesirably long or include a hinged flap which adds undesirable complexity. Further, these references teach nothing regarding the internal arrangement of the components of the device. If the device is too large, it is unwieldy to hold and use, and the ear and mouth pieces may be spaced too far apart for some users. Further, increased size typically means increased weight, making the device less comfortable to hold and use.
Thus, minimizing the size of combined global positioning and wireless telephone devices is desirable to enhance the ergonomics of the devices and make them more comfortable to hold.